ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a vigorous case for "meaningful actions" in assessment, but without a detailed discussion of the influence of ethics in this process. The information age changes radically the practice of ethics in the creation of both verbal and visual information, making it critical to deliver the right information at the right time. In the classical ethics of Plato and Aristotle, for example, the emphasis is on the character of the individual and his or her virtues and vices: that is, virtuous people know the right thing to do. Different professions have different perspectives on ethics, influenced by the specific issues and practices of each profession. Prevailing theories of ethics, however, operate on container metaphors and encourage thinking about the stability of data, the shaping of information, and the durability of practice instead of the fluidity of data, the sifting of information, and the dynamics of practice.
